


Our Little Corner of the World

by racheltuckerrr



Series: hideaway [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Art School, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff without Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 13:44:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19669750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/racheltuckerrr/pseuds/racheltuckerrr
Summary: Days in the life of our favourite art school leader and her girlfriend AKA the art school au is alive and well.





	Our Little Corner of the World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GaneWhoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaneWhoo/gifts).



> *surprise bitch* 
> 
> this is for everyone who's been nagging me about a sequel, may you all enjoy this gratuitious field trip.

Cat quietly hums to herself as she puts the key in the lock and opens up her art studio, hers being the first class of the day. Once inside, she does a roundup of the familiar space, making sure that everything is in order and ready for her eager students. She opens the huge interior double doors that separate the two spacious rooms of the studio and starts arranging a few art benches on the hardwood floor, leaving the rest in the corner for the moment.

Once satisfied with her inspections, Cat turns to the small kitchen area where, by general rule, her students are welcome to make themselves a boosting beverage in return for a little change in the pig-shaped moneybox. 

She opens the cupboard that holds several colourful mugs and takes out the one she knows no one else will touch; a tastefully decorated little mug with a small, black cat curled around the rim of the cup. Cat smiles nostalgically at the memory of the day when one of the kids in the youngster group she used to teach on weekends, before Kara took over that particular class, nominated it to be hers and hers alone, claiming that _Miss Cat_ deserved her own mug because she’s the boss. 

_Indeed_. Cat smirks as she puts the kettle on and opens the heavy casement window. The sun’s rays warm her skin as she stands on her toes, eyes closed in reverence, to slightly lean out and take a breath of fresh air before her day really begins. 

That’s when she hears the telltale noise of a camera clicking and her smile widens instantly, knowing immediately who the offending object belongs to. 

“I thought I told you to stop doing that,” she chides without opening her eyes, but can still imagine the sheepish look on Kara’s face just fine.

“I can’t help it,” Kara’s voice says, much closer this time as she approaches the woman from the other side of the window, out on the street. “When you look so beautiful it makes me want to freeze the moment and keep it forever.”

“Mm,” Cat hums, but still doesn’t open her eyes, until she feels Kara’s soft lips on her own in a much anticipated kiss.

“Good morning, Cat.”

“It is,” she says simply. “Now get your pretty little butt inside so I can kiss you properly.” 

“Yes, Ma’am,” Kara salutes as she ducks out of Cat’s reach at the last possible moment, only leaving her with the faint echo of her girlfriend’s laughter while said woman cheekily saunters away.

They’ve only been apart for a week, while Kara was visiting her parents in their rural hometown that Cat has already heard so much about. In fact, the only reason she and Carter weren’t tagging along, despite Kara’s rather convincing puppy eyes regarding the matter, was that someone had to be around to keep the school up and running, and they were already short-staffed at the moment.

Despite the nightly phone calls and many, _many_ texts during the day, Cat has to admit she still missed the young woman who has, in a relatively short time, become such an integral part of her daily routine. And, to put it simply, her life. 

Cat would never admit this out loud to anyone else, but before Kara, her life had always felt like it was missing something. As a mother, her son was her entire world, besides which she was the proud owner and founder of a renowned establishment, and yet...that elusive notion of her own personal happiness never did find its way to her until now.

Cat sighs dreamily, only snapping out of her daze with the sound of the front door closing behind the younger blonde as she finally steps inside. Cat leans back from the windowsill and saunters over to the other room where Kara is already hanging her jacket, and steps right into the younger woman’s waiting arms.

“Welcome back, darling,” Cat drawls in her ear as she laces her fingers at the nape of Kara’s neck; the height difference between them just pronounced enough that she has to stand on her tiptoes to do so.

“It is _so_ good to be back,” Kara whispers into Cat’s hair as she draws her close, finally kissing her like she’s been wanting to, almost since the moment she left for Midvale.

“I missed you,” Cat admits, surprising them both.

“I know you did.”

“More than I thought I would,” Cat frowns, not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

Kara takes the opportunity to press another sweet kiss to those adorably pursed lips, before hugging Cat close one more time, her sweet flowery scent making Kara feel instantly at home.

“Okay, enough sappiness,” Cat decides as she finally pulls away. “Come on, I was making coffee in the kitchen,” she says, linking her fingers with Kara’s as she pulls her along. “We only have about half an hour until the students start coming in.”

* * *

“Winn, could you get that?” Kara calls from inside the drawing room at the sound of the bell chiming, as she is momentarily too busy to greet the woman she knew would be arriving for an interview. “And where the hell is Cat?”

“That is my job, yes,” the art secretary quips playfully, rolling his eyes at the nervous teacher, even as he dutifully pushes the button to let the guest in. “Your other half is outside, on the phone with Carter. Maybe chill a little, would you? Your anxiety is disrupting my natural flow.”

“Your _what_ now?” Kara asks in a disbelieving tone, still not quite used to the eccentric nature that hides under such a kind and unassuming physique. It took Kara all of five seconds to decide she liked Winn when they first met, back when she was still a student here, but that doesn’t mean she’ll ever pretend to understand him. “And _excuse me_ if I’m a little nervous about meeting someone like -”

She is interrupted mid-sentence, as the front door opens to the smiling face of the woman in question.

“Lucy Lane!” Kara exclaims enthusiastically, really wishing that Cat would come back and join them already, wanting her girlfriend to be by her side for this important moment. 

Then, as if on cue, a curly blonde head appears in the door after Lucy, and Kara lets out a sigh of relief as Cat gracefully crosses the room to stand next to her, surprising Kara yet again by loosely threading their fingers together in silent support. Lucy glances curiously between the two women but doesn’t comment. 

“Luce, I’d like to introduce you to someone very special,” Cat says, her eyes twinkling at Kara who prays her blush isn’t as embarrassingly visible as it feels right now. “This is Kara Danvers, our newest addition to the team,” she says, with no small amount of pride, before turning to Kara. “And darling, this is my good friend Lucy Lane.”

“Lois Lane’s kid sister,” Lucy supplies with a bitter expression on her face.

“ _Oh_ ,” Kara says, a little confused which is apparently enough for Lucy to draw her own conclusions as she sighs dramatically, with a slight air of seemingly familiar annoyance. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that at all!” Kara exclaims then, horrified at the assumption as she rushes to correct it. “I know your sister’s reputation is hard to compete with, but...I actually always preferred your more subtle style and minimalistic approach. I find it elegant in its simplicity,” Kara shrugs as she tries to explain. “I mean no offense to your sister, Miss Lane, but I was taught that bolder doesn’t always mean better.”

Cat beams by Kara’s side, raising her eyebrows at Lucy in a clear _I told you so_ as the brunette processes the information. When she does, Kara is rewarded with a blinding smile.

“I like you,” Lucy says, looking Kara square in the eyes, and Kara instinctively knows she’s _in_ , though where exactly, she couldn’t say. “But call me Lucy, please,” she adds with a small flicking movement of her hand that makes her silver bracelets clutter as they jingle around her wrist.

Everything about this woman just screams class, and Kara can’t quite believe she might get to be friends with an artist of her caliber. As far as she’s concerned, Lois Lane and her weak Picasso copies can suck it.

“You chose a good one Cat,” Lucy adds, finally settling on the most appropriate way to express her approval, “she’s definitely a keeper.”

“Oh, I know,” Cat says looking at Kara, her eyes shining with unreserved affection. “And I’m not letting her out of my sight for a minute.”

Lucy takes this moment to study the two women as they seem to get lost in each other for a moment, then snap back to attention when she tactfully clears her throat a minute or so later.

“Alright ladies, I’m gonna need to hear all about you two, but first, let’s talk business.”

* * *

“Mom, I’m back!” Carter exclaims as he busts into the school an hour or so later like an underage tornado of sheer and utter delight, discarding his backpack in the corner as he goes, the door banging closed after him with a loud thud.

“Just a minute, sweetheart!” Cat calls out from the other room, where they’re just about done discussing the ins and outs of the new position she’s offering Lucy Lane. “And how many times do I have to tell you to mind that poor door?”

“Sorry!” Carter winces, flopping down next to the front desk with a thud. “Hey, Winn.” 

“Hello, mister,” the secretary smiles easily at him, before asking, his tone laced with genuine interest behind the casual one-liner, “how is it hangin’?”

“Really good! Remember that summer internship at the Science Museum I applied for?”

“Of course,” Winn says. He’s always liked the boss’ kid, mainly because just like his mother, Carter has an innately kind and generous spirit that always shines through, even in the most casual of interactions.

“I got picked!” Carter exclaims excitedly.

“Well done, buddy,” Winn congratulates, offering him a high-five. “It’s gonna be an eventful summer for you, huh? Summer school, then going to Midvale and now this! Way to go, Carter!”

“Way to go indeed,” comes Cat’s voice from the doorway, as she opens her arms to her son. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

“Me too, me too, me too!” Kara squeals from behind her, thudding her feet on the ground like a little kid as she waits for her turn while mother and son have their own private moment. 

As soon as Carter is released though, he pounces on Kara and she opens her arms too just like his mother did a moment ago, and the two of them are lost in a fit of giggles and cheers as Kara twirls him around in the air, whooping and hollering, and the sound of laughter echoes around the small studio like a boomerang that just found its way home.

“Shall we sign the papers then?” Cat asks a smirking Lucy who’s just witnessed both exchanges without a single comment, but the two of them go way back and Cat knows better. She gestures in the direction of the small kitchen that leads out onto the courtyard in the back, complete with a patio, and on it a little table and two wooden chairs; and explains, cocking her head back in the direction of her son and her girlfriend, “This may take a while.”

True to form, as soon as they are outside and out of earshot, Lucy perks up like a sunflower in the summer and her eyes burn with interest as she looks at Cat expectantly, and the older woman sighs. It’s not like she didn’t know this was coming, so she might as well indulge her friend’s juvenile curiosity for at least a little while, especially since Lucy is now a part of the _club_ as well.

So Cat tells her, from the very beginning, about the beautiful art student with the shining blue eyes and almost childlike curiosity and wonder that wormed her way into Cat's heart way before she became her best student, and really, Cat never even stood a chance. Especially not when Carter adores Kara because she doesn't treat him like a child just because he is not an adult yet, and the two of them have clearly formed a bond of their own, and Cat is continuously baffled at how easy everything is with Kara. 

She tells Lucy about the dates they have in the Natural History museum and at art galleries and their favourite coffee shop slash ice cream parlor; she tells her about how Kara gradually started helping out around the school more and more as their relationship progressed, and about how Cat feels like a piece of her that's always been missing has finally been found.

She also tells Lucy that when months later Kara finally finished her course at the school, Cat made her an offer that allowed her to quit her shitty office job and come teach at Cat’s studio full time, since Cat had been looking to hire new teachers anyway, and it was just the luck of the draw that her new girlfriend had a natural charm and easy-going nature that made her the perfect addition to the family, _so to speak._

Not to mention that it took some of the load off Cat's shoulders, not that she would ever admit that she'd taken on too much, but the truth was that Kara had been a godsend to her in more ways than one.

With her help, the school really started blooming, beyond just the business sense; the atmosphere was always joyful and supportive, the students were happy, and sometimes, the boss and her girlfriend indulged in some well-deserved domestic bliss, occasionally even in front of a curious student or two, who instantly started to giggle at how Miss Cat blushes pink whenever Kara decides to wear a dress.

It's such a charming tale that Cat might puke if she wasn't living it, but as it is, she just soaks up the tender smile on Lucy's face as she listens to every single word from start to finish.

"You really are happy, aren't you Catherine?" She asks fondly and Cat nods. 

Life is good right now. 

And it's about to be even better with Lucy around, at the helm of the brand new graphic design program that they brought her in for; Cat is already so excited for her eager students to be taught by such a professional of her field. The prospect of collaborations like this one was one of the main reasons why she decided to start her own art school in the first place.

"In that case, I think I'm gonna like it here _boss_ ," Lucy winks at her before reaching for the pen in front of her, and signing her name on the dotted line at the bottom, her own excitement bleeding through as she does so. "I think I'm gonna like it here very much."

* * *

Lucy begins her lessons soon after, and things are going so well that Cat offers to give her another art slot of her choosing if she likes, since interest is still quite high and Cat and Kara also have two classes each, so Lucy deserves her chance to shine as well. 

She chooses architecture, and the adult interest in the school spikes again due to her reputation and famously unique style that is on par with those of the best artists in the community; Kara was certainly right when she said that a bold choice on its own doesn’t necessarily make an artist stand out, at least not without integrity. And that, unlike her infamous sister, Lucy’s got in spades.

Business is booming, and they soon become a tight-knit little family of artists, sometimes even taking trips and street art excursions with their students on sunny days, all in the name of learning, of course. 

One particularly shiny day Cat even decides that a picnic is in order and they pack up enough sandwiches to feed a small village and go spread themselves out in the city park, the three women quietly talking and enjoying the sun with Winn and Carter and Lucy’s photographer boyfriend in tow, while the more eager of the students draw sketches of the little scenes of life happening all around them, even organizing a little impromptu competition whose winner gets to hang their drawing over the desk in Cat’s small office when they get back to the school.

All in all, Cat couldn’t be happier about all the recent changes, especially considering the small opening in her schedule now that she relies more and more on her colleagues who share an equal part of the work and responsibility with her. It is looking more and more like a family business, and Cat finds she doesn’t mind sharing at all. Not when it looks like this.

So when Carter catches a bug at his school, and Cat inevitably catches it from him, rendering her unable to teach for the next two weeks as she is recovering in the apartment Kara now shares with the mother and son duo - it’s actually not the end of the world. Objectively speaking.

Even so, at first Cat insisted that she was fine, but Kara very sternly told her to go see a doctor first, before infecting a school full of people, staff and students alike. That ended the argument, and Cat had to admit that she might actually possibly maybe need a break, so Kara volunteered to take over her classes, with the help of their newly minted staff member. 

To Cat’s astonishment and partial dismay, everything continues to go as smoothly as ever in her absence, even if the students do miss the school’s fearless leader, and continue to ask Kara about her wellbeing on a daily basis. Kara, of course, tells them not to worry and assures everyone that _Miss Cat_ will be back on her feet in no time, even if her ego is slightly bruised now with the realization of how well her school is doing without her; though Kara very generously does not divulge that particular piece of information.

“It’s just startling to see how easily life goes on without me around to hold everything together,” Cat says before a small coughing fit claims her voice for the next few seconds. 

Kara holds her through it gently and lies back down on the bed with a tired, but finally convalescing Cat in her arms, her face a picture of sympathy. The coughing is still there if only moderately, but the sickness is on its last leg now, and even the doctor confirmed that Cat is definitely over the hill, and hopefully back to work come next week. Still, a little bedrest with their attractive young girlfriend certainly never hurt nobody.

“It’s a testament to what a strong foundation you’ve built. It’s a testament to _you_ , Cat.”

“Mm. You’re only saying that to make me feel better! The school doesn’t even need me anymore, now that we have you!” Cat huffs, then much quieter, she adds, “You are my supergirl.”

“Thank you, Cat.” Kara laughs like Cat imagines flowers would if they had the means. It’s truly a beautiful sound. “Although…” She trails off and gets up from the bed, looking at Cat with a twinkle in her gaze that the older blonde eyes warily with narrowed eyes from her place on the bed.

“What?”

“I wouldn’t say the school doesn’t need you anymore,” Kara opens the door to a dozen children standing sheepishly there on the other side, most of them with flowers and gifts and even one student with homemade chicken broth that her grandmother claims will do wonders every time. 

Kara raises her eyebrows in silent appeal for her consent, and chuckles at her expression as Cat finds the presence of mind to nod, slowly, like it’s all she _can_ do for the time being. And it is, because Cat is...well, speechless. She is also touched beyond belief, and she might even reveal that to Kara later when she’s regained the ability to articulate words again.

“I _did_ tell them, but they wanted to see for themselves that you are alright,” Kara says before ushering the students inside. “I didn’t have the heart to send them away.”

They all line up before the bed like little soldiers, and Cat only has time to lift her head quickly and mouth a heartfelt “thank you” at Kara over their heads just before her girlfriend quietly slips out the door, leaving her with a myriad of enthusiastic well-wishers. 

It’s only another hour and a half later that Cat has the chance to try the soup with the alleged healing powers, and then finally take a much needed rest to let it work its magic, but looking at the kind messages and new drawings now lining the side of her dresser where her students pinned them all up just before they left, Cat has to admit that the slight strain was most definitely worth it.

And, sickness or not, so is everything else. _Yes. Life is definitely good_ , Cat thinks to herself before falling asleep with a smile on her face.

By the time Kara comes back to check on her, she finds the woman sleeping soundly under the blankets with a contented expression on her face and a heart as full as there are stars in the sky.


End file.
